Pendulum scale



M. W. ROMIG PENDULUM SCALE Aug. 19, 1952 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Filed June 4, 1948 INVENTOR: Mains W30 fizzki; BY Gaul W A TTORNE YS.

u 19,1952 .M. Ram 2,601,5 0

PENDULUM SCALE 5 7 Filed June 4, 1948. "zmws-saw 2 FJGJ. FJGJL WITNESSES 15 IN V EN TOR:

Q Q H6; J7] 5 M02218 WWW/7g 955 X 061 041 KW 55 ATTORNEYS.

Patented Aug. 19, 1952 KPENDULUM SCALE Morris W. Romig, Allentown, Pa., assignor to L. F.

Grammes & Sons, 1110., Allentown, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application June 4, 1948, Serial No. 31,080

3 Claims.

1 This invention relates to pendulum scales. More specifically, it is concerned with weighing devices for rating letters for postage, or scaling small packages and the like.

The chief aim of my invention is to provide a weighing device of the sort referred to which is light and yet sturdy; which is neat and attractive in appearance; which is compact and requires but little space for storage when its use is not required; which is dependable for accuracy; which has all of its vital moving parts suitably housed for protection against damage or derangement; and which lends itself to ready and economic manufacture in quantity for the most part from relatively thin still sheet metal or the like.

Other objects and attendant advantages will appear from the following description of the attached drawings, wherein- Fig. 1 is a view, partly in front elevation and partly in longitudinal section, of a pendulum scale conveniently embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the device taken as indicated by the angled arrows IIII in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken as indicated by the angled arrows III-III in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a detail section taken as indicated by the angled arrows IV-IV in Fig. 2.

Fig. 5, 6, '7, 8, 9, and are perspective views of various component parts of the device; and Fig. 11 is a perspective view of a temporary keeper piece by which the moving parts are held in fixed relation during shipment of the device.

With more detailed reference, first more particularly with Figs. 1-3 of these illustrations, it

will be observed that my improved pendulum scale comprises a casing with a cover I5, a base 16, said cover including a central component H which provides the top and end walls, and front and rear wall components [8 and I9, all fashioned in practice as die stampings from relatively thin but stiff sheet material which may be of metal. From Figs. 1 and 2 it will be noted that the base 16 is upwardly dished and has a rectangular depression 20 in its top for seating of the bottom end wall edges of the central component I? of the cover, and the bottom edges of the front and rear wall components I8 and I9. As shown, the components l1, l8 and IQ of the cover 15 are provided at their bottom edges with clinch tabs 2|, '22 and 23 respectively, which are passed through pre-allocated slits in the base It and knocked over upon the bottom face of the latter. The front and rear wall components I8 and [9 of the cover are additionally provided along their top and. side edges with flanges 25 and 26 to marginally overlap the central component IT, as well as with tabs 25a and 26a centrally of their tops to engage downwardlythrough pre-allocated slits in the top of said central component. By virtue of this construction, it will be seen that the parts Ill9 are effectively united one to another and the cover connected to the base IS without the need of any separate securing means.

Rising from the base It at the center is a transversely positioned standard 2! which, as shown in Figs. 2 and 5, is fashioned from stout strip material to yoke-like configuration with inturned feet 28 at the bottoms of its side arms 29. The standard 21 is secured to the base [5 by rivets 30, and the cover made additionally secure by a headed screw 3| whereof the shank passes down through a central hole in the top of the central component I"! and threadedly engages into the crosswise top portion of said standard. At vertically spaced levels, the side arms 29 of the standard 2'! are pierced as at 32 and 33 in Fig. 5 for passage of transverse pins 34 and 35 which serve in a capacity later on explained.

I For the support of letters or other articles to be weighed, I have provided a tray 36 which, like the baseand the cover components, is fashioned from light but stiff sheet material, and formed along its longitudinal edges with upstanding stiffening flanges 31. As shown, the tray 35 is connected, through the medium of a pair of small weld or solder attached socket pieces 33 (see also Fig. 10) at its nether side, to the upright arms 39 of a pendent shank member 46 (Fig. 9) fashioned to invert U configuration from the same stout bar stock as the standard 27.

At vertically spaced points, the upright arms 39 of the shank member 40 are pierced as at 4| and 42 in Fig. 9 for passage of other transverse pins 44 and 45.

Fulcrumed to swing on the pins 34 and 35 are relatively short parallel arms and H to which the tray-supporting shank member 40 is pivotally connected by the pins 44 and 45. It will be noted from Figs. 1 and 6' that the upper parallel arm 50 is in the form of an integral forward extension of an angular C shaped lever 52 with a vertical portion 53 depending from a point rearwardly beyond the pivot 44, and with a horizontal bottom portion 54 extending forwardly from the lower end of said vertical portion. As best shown in Fig. 6, the lever 52 is struck from relatively stout sheet stock to channel section with pierced upstanding ears 55 on its parallel arm portion 50 for passage of the pins 34 and 44, and with a pendent tongue 56 at the end of its horizontal portion 54 centrally notched as at 51. The portion 54 of the lever is formed with a longitudinal slot 58 whereof the ends are enlarged laterally as at 59 and 60. Mounted on the horizontal portion 54 of lever 52 is a counterbalancing weight block 62 which is held in place by a headed screw 63 (Fig. 4) whereof the shank is passed up through the slot 58 and threadedly engaged into the bottom of said block. Fitting down over the block 62 is an invert U-shaped strap 64 of strip material having one leg 65 laterally notched adjacent the bottom as at 66 in Fig. 7, and the other leg 61 provided adjacent the bottom with a tapped hole 68. In assembling, the leg 65 f the strap 64 is inserted into the widened portion 60 of the slot 58 in the arm 54 of lever 52 and its notches 66 engaged with the side edges of the narrow portion 58 of said slot. At the same time, the leg 61 of strap 64 is inserted into the widened portion 59 at the other end of the slot in arm 54 of lever 52. With this accomplished, the circumferentially grooved head 69 of a screw is engaged in the notch 51 at the outer end of the arm 54 of lever 52 and the screw turned to engage its shank into the tapped hole 68 in the leg 6''! of strap 64. As a consequence of the arrangement just described, it is possible to adjust the weight block 62 along the arm 54 of lever 52 at the factory to compensate for slight variations in the dimensions of the different moving parts of the device and so insure perfect counter-balancing.

, .The lower parallel arm element 1 i, see Fig. 8, is blanked from platestock into the form of a .U-shaped yoke whereof the extremities 12 and 13 are spaced to overlapthe extremities 3930f the shank member 40, and pierced as at 14 and 15 for passage of the pins and 45. Integral with the extremity I2 is an upwardly reaching pointer 15 whereof the upper end is bent outtems depending upon the particular use to which the device is to be put.

In order to make it possible to level the device for accurate registration f the pointer 16 with the zero graduation of the scale 19, I have provided the casing 15 with a false bottom in the form of a rectangular plate 80 of springy stock which is disposed in the hollow of the base [6, see Figs. 1, 2 and 3. This plate 80 is secured to the nether face of the base I6 by the rivets 3B which serve for the standard 21. The opposite ends of the plate 80 are separately adjustable up .and down relative to the base 16 by screws 8|. As shown, the shanks of the screws 8| are threadedly engaged in upward spot embossments of the base 16 with their heads interposed between the latter and said plate. Access to the screws 8| to permit their adjustment by means of a screw driver is'by way of axially aligned holes 82 in the plate 80, said holes being somewhat smaller in diameter than the screw heads as clearly shown in Fig. 1.

'Due to the shaping of the various component par-ts of the device as herein shown and described, it will be apparent that, notwithstanding their fabrication from relatively thin materials,

I have produced a structure which though light, is very compact and amply strong against distortion or binding in the use for which it is designed, and which, after being properly set up, can be depended upon to give accurate weight indications. As an article to be weighed is placed upon the tray 38, the supporting shank member 40 will descend, and through the parallel arm element 50 and 13 cause the counterbalance arm 52 to swing clockwise in Fig. 1 about the fulcrum pin 34 within the yoke openings of said supporting shank member and the standard 21. At the same time, the element II will be swung about the fulcrum pin 35 and the pointer 18 caused to sweep over the scale 19 to indicate the weight of the article in a manner which will be readily understood.

In order to prevent derangement of the device durin shipment, I have provided a means for temporarily locking the lever 52. in the position in which it is shown in dot and dash lines in Fig. 1. This temporary locking means is in the form of a strip of pliable material which is separately illustrated in Fig. 11, and, as shown, is laterally notched as at 85a adjacent one end and longitudinally split as at 85b at the other end. After assembling of the device at the factory, the lever 52 is swung to the dot and dash line position in Fig. 1, the notched end of element 85'inserted through an aperture86 centrally of the corresponding end wall of the casing 15 and into the slot 58 of said lever immediately behind the block 62. The element 85 isthen given a partial turn to hook with the side edges of slot 58 in lever 52 and finally the split end portions of said element are respectively bent up and down flat against the outer face of the end wall of the cover as shown in Fig. 1. Upon receipt 0f the device by the purchaser, the procedure-just described is reversed and the temporary locking element withdrawn to release the lever 52.

Having thus described my invention, I'claim:

1. Asa new article of manufacture, a pendulum scale having a base with a standard rising therefrom; an article-supporting tray with a pendent shank; parallel upper and lower arm elements fulcrumed at vertically-spaced points on the standard, with which the tray shank has pivotal connections at equal radii from the fulcrum axes, the upper arm element being the top portion of an angular C-shaped lever; a counterb-alancing weight mounted on the bottom por-- tion of the lever; a strap extending over the weight with its ends passed down through the slot in said bottom portion, one such end having lateral notches in engagement with the edges of the slot; an adjusting screw rotatably held in a downward lug on said bottom portion, with its shank threadedly engaging into the other end of the strap; a stationary element with weight-indicating graduations; and a pointer extending from the lower of the two arms for coordination with the graduations.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a pendulum scale having a horizontal base; a transversely-arranged yoke-like standard with its extremities anchored in the base; an article supporting tray with a pendent U-shaped shank element corresponding in width to the standard; paralleled upper and lower arm elements fulcrumed at vertically-spaced points on the standard and having pivotal connections at equal radii from the fulcrum axes, the upper arm element being a forward extension at the top of an an gular C-shaped lever which is swingable through the standard and which carries a counterbalance weight on its bottom portion, and the lower arm element being U-shaped to straddle the tray shank element and the standard; a housing cover enclosing the scale mechanism except for the tray; a headed securing screw rotatably held in the top of the cover with its shank threadedly engaging into the top of the standard; and a pointer connected to the lower arm with its end laterally offset and extending through an arcuate slot in a side wall of the cover concentric with the fulcrum axis of said lower arm for coordination of said pointer with weight indicating graduations on the outer face of said side wall.

3. As a new article of manufacture a pendulum scale according to claim 2, further including a quadrangular supporting plate connected to the under side of the base at the center and provided with apertures adjacent its opposite ends; and screws with their shanks thread-edly engaging upwardly into the base, said screws having rounded heads larger in diameter than the apertures aforesaid and seated therein and screwdriver 6 slots in the heads accessible through the apertures from beneath whereby said plate can be adjusted to level the scale.

MORRIS W. ROMIG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: 

